My Prison
by Soccer Dude
Summary: Hikari wants to relax, blend in with the crowd after her mind-bending childhood. But her powers refuse to settle down, and she's the next target of an obsessive doctor, who wishes to use Hikari's powers for his own twisted plans...
1. Chapter 1

I know some of you were looking forward to a Linkin Park songfic, but I decided to scrap the idea. First, pretty much every songfic I've seen is a short story. This is going to be something like eight or nine chapters. Second, the lyrics and story have to be related in some way. I wanted to be free of the song's dictation because I had a feeling this would go awry. Finally, I've begun to lose interest in Linkin Park. (Hybrid Theory the thousandth time around isn't as good) It might become more of a chore than a pleasure to write this a month from now. But don't feel down. You can still listen to Papercut while reading this.

* * *

Hikari, a teenage high-school student with hair brushing her shoulders, opened the mailbox at the bottom floor of the apartment. _Bill, bill, advertisement, you may have just won a billion yen… a letter from Taichi! _Hikari eagerly brought the mail to her family's room. It'd been almost a year since her brother went away. Hikari's life just wasn't the same with her goofy big brother to be comedy relief. She dumped the junk mail for her parents on the counter, and ripped the envelope containing her brother's message open. Inside was a typed note, probably because a dog's handwriting was better than Taichi's.

__

Dear Mom, Dad, and Hikari,

Everything is going well at college. I'm making lots of friends, and for the most part, doing well in all my classes. I really miss all of you; especially Mom's cooking. The sushi at the cafeteria is tasteless. Anyway, I hope you're all in happy spirits, because tuition is due, and my job can't quite cover all of it. Just call me for the price. And for my loving sister, I'll admit, I miss you the most.

Love, Taichi.

P.S. I'm getting the week off in a month. See you then!

Hikari smiled and put the letter on top of the other mail for her parents to read when they got home. She didn't know why they both had to go to the grocery store, but it probably had something to do with the fact one would usually come home with the other's least favorite meal.

The teenage girl plopped down on the couch, but didn't spot the man's greatest invention. _Where is that remote? _Hikari checked under the table, in the cushions, and around the TV, before something odd happened.

_It's under the couch. _

Hikari whirled around. Someone had just spoken. The door was shut, and the room remained silent. Hikari looked about the room, then jumped as the disembodied voice spoke again. 

_The couch. Look under the couch._

"Who's there?" Hikari's voice wavered. No one replied. _That voice, where'd it come from? _Hikari hesitantly checked around the room. Of course, she found nothing unusual, and then she looked at the couch. It taunted her, daring her to look under it. Hikari swallowed, then approached the couch. She leaned down, pinched the ruffled edge, and peered under. 

Nothing bit back at her. All Hikari saw was the remote. In some ways, that still scared her. She returned to the couch and spread out across it. Hikari turned on the TV, and began randomly flipping. _That voice, it seemed like it came from everywhere at once. Like it was inside my head. _A memory, by chance, popped up in her head. When she was eight, the first time she had went to the Digital World; she remembered a similar voice. It was so long ago though. Hikari remembered that day she first went to that weird parallel dimension. With Gatomon…

Hikari began feeling a tear welling up in her eye. She missed Gatomon so much, her perky disposition, boundless energy, and always a smile on her face. Hikari continued flipping the channels, and did similarly with her mind. Trying to get a normal reputation was difficult. Especially when you took part in saving the world, twice. 

All of the complimenting and praising, and even autographs eventually died down, especially into high school. _Ugh, I hate those uniforms. _She recalled the first day getting into that itchy blouse and jacket, and the boring green skirt. She felt like she'd gone to a prison. Takeru didn't really appreciate the boy's style either. Ties everyday.

_Takeru… _Hikari's emotions stirred. Takeru had obviously taken a liking to her, but he constantly had to repress himself. Whenever she talked to him, he had that look in his eye, like he was imagining Hikari in bed with him. Much to Takeru's dismay, she'd said that he was like her second brother. They knew each other very well, and it would be uncomfortable for her to be dating and kissing on a regular basis. She also mentioned that there was some hope. That really turned him red.

She stopped at a channel showing the weather. "…still in a heat wave, that will most likely continue into next week. Expect highs to top 30 degrees Celsius. Analysts are saying this whole summer has been warmer than average, so make sure you drink plenty of water, take frequent breaks when working, and put on a healthy amount of sunscreen."

Hikari was glad her father had fixed the air conditioner. It was nearly on high blast, and she loved falling asleep on the couch during these hot summer days. _Actually, I'm getting pretty sleepy now. _Hikari curled up slightly on the couch and drifted to sleep. She eventually forgot about that weird voice, but that would be temporarily…

* * *

Hikari woke up to her mother's light shaking. She slowly stirred, then looked at the clock. The number 6:30 stared at her. "Hikari-chan, dinner's almost ready."

The half-asleep girl immediately knew what the meal was from the smell in the air. Tuna. She absolutely loathed tuna, no matter if it was on a sandwich, as sushi, or any other form. Hikari washed her hands and plopped down in her seat at the counter. A large pile of tuna, in all its smelly glory, was on her plate, along with some rice towards the side. Hikari immediately went for the rice, delaying the inevitable. She was about to help herself to more, when her mother butted in. 

"Hikari, have some tuna."

Hikari watched the meat like it was glowing and making faces at her.

"You don't have to like it, I just want you to eat it. You're a growing girl and I spent a long time making this."

Hikari gazed at the tuna, hating it with a strong vengeance and then a corner of her mind seemed to activate. Hikari couldn't describe it, but it like using a part of her brain for the first time. She rubbed her forehead, a small twinge of pain built up there, then abruptly disappeared. She squeezed a piece of tuna between her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.

It tasted even worst than normal. No, that was an understatement. It tasted absolutely appalling. Like someone had dumped way too much salt on spoiled meat. Hikari gagged on the disgusting food and downed almost half of her milk to wash it away. 

"Are you OK? Did you choke?" Her protective mother was already by her side. 

Hikari shook her head then offered her mother a piece of the tuna. "Here taste this. There's something wrong with it."

Her mother plucked a piece in her mouth. She made a face similar to what Hikari's had made, and spat out the bad food into a napkin. Her eyes were watering up as she said. "I don't know what happened to your batch Hikari, but I don't have any more tuna, though I'm sure you're celebrating on the inside." Her mother walked off, mumbling something about calling the supermarket. Hikari gladly threw away the rest of her dinner.

* * *

Half an hour later, Hikari was heading out the door to meet with her friend Miyako, who'd claimed to have a surprise for her. Miyako's surprises usually ended up with both of them doing a lot of explaining. Hikari went out of her home after her mother's warning about the 10:00 curfew. She heard Miyako's car halfway down the stairs. 

_Everyone else has a car. Miyako has a car, Takeru has a car, and even Daisuke who passed the driver's exam through sheer dumb luck has a car. Meanwhile my brother and his college books force me to pay for my own car. _Hikari found her friend and her dull red Honda parked at the side of the road. Miyako waved and honked like the other girl was nearly blind and deaf. Hikari jumped in and immediately reminded Miyako that she needed to be home by ten PM.

"Right. OK, there's this new place open downtown…" Miyako sped out into the street like a drag racer. "And I thought it would be really cool if we went there. But I can't tell you what it is because I want it to be a surprise." Miyako barely stopped in time for the red light. When it signaled to go, Miyako, without much concern for the car's engine, accelerated hard. 

Several minutes of intense stopping and going, Miyako pulled up to a large black building. Hikari's face fell as she saw the name of the place in bright neon, lightning-shaped letters: 

"Crossfire?" She read aloud. "The new laser tag place? Miyako, you know I suck at these kind of war games."

Miyako eagerly ran through the maze of other parked cars. "Oh come on it'll be fun. Besides Ken and Daisuke will be there."

"I have a suspicious belief that Daisuke asked you to bring me here. I thought he had given up on me a long time ago."

"No he said it was because he needed target practice." Miyako went through the door with Hikari following much less anxiously. Miyako paid for both of them at the counter and found Ken and Daisuke spending time at the arcade. Daisuke, who still refused to give up his goggles, blasted away enemies in a mindless shoot-everything-that-moves game. 

Miyako greeted Ken with a kiss while Hikari simply said hello. Daisuke barely noticed the arrival of the two girls, on a count of he'd just secured his place on the High Score list. He cheered and did some kind of victory dance as his name appeared at the bottom of the list. He finally turned and regarded Hikari. "Oh hi Hikari. Man I can't believe how long it took to get my name on that list I must've spent half my allowance on that game. So, hope you're ready to come in last."

Hikari sighed and pointed at Miyako. "She dragged me here. And go easy on me. Please?"

Daisuke grinned. "I dunno, you'll have to ask my trigger finger. In the arena, they know me as Sharpshooter."

* * *

Minutes later, Hikari wore a heavy plastic breastplate with a sensor in front and back, and needed two hands to carry an unwieldy, elaborately designed gun. She was pretty sure her score was in the negative range because she seemed to be getting shot a lot more than she was shooting. 

A flash of red went by. Hikari would've been dead if it was the real thing, because it took nearly two seconds for her to hoist the gun up and point it in the general direction of what she'd seen. Hikari investigated the area, a maze of boxes to hide behind. She jumped as another player ambushed and pumped her full of radio waves. Hikari tried to crouch down but she'd already been killed. 

"Ha, ha. Newbie." The guy laughed and looked for more inexperienced players to bully. 

Hikari stood back up after a few seconds with her armor reactivated. She suddenly felt like she had a headache. Maybe it was the pulsating techno music. It began building up though. Hikari couldn't focus. The girl's vision became fuzzy, and she had to breathe heavily. 

She also felt something else. Anger, and frustration, growing. She never wanted to come here; she would've enjoyed a quiet night at the movies or the park, not being last in some stupid fake game.

Hikari felt like she'd snapped. Something happened to her senses, making them strong as a wild animal's. In her mind's eye, a shadow floated behind her. Hikari waited until the person was less than a meter away, then whirled around and repeatedly squeezed the trigger like there was no tomorrow. 

Daisuke's expression was one of surprise as he lost a life. "How'd you know I was behind you? I pulled that trick a dozen times!"

Hikari felt the adrenaline gush out. "Uh, I'm not sure. It's like I sensed you coming." She rubbed her head. The feeling of anger, it was like something in a bubble, and the bubble just… popped. "Listen I'm gonna drop out. I'm not into this game."

Daisuke raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you want to. But I wish I had eyes in the back of my head." He ran off into a cloud of fog. 

Hikari went out of the exit, returned her equipment and sat down in the waiting room. Ten minutes later, Miyako, Ken, and Daisuke came out, sweaty and exhilarated. The easily excited teenager cheered as the scores showed up on a screen. "Oh yeah, first place, I rule!"

"Yeah, twelve kills, and you only died once. Who was that?" Ken asked.

"Hikari. I don't know how she caught me sneaking up on her. She just whirled around and… wham!" He smacked himself on the chest. 

"Hey that's pretty cool. What do you say to a free shake for being the only person to kill Daisuke for the first time in weeks." Ken offered.

Hikari shook her head. "No, I'm not feeling that great. I just want to go home."

Daisuke tilted his head. This certainly conflicted with what many other people would say. "Alright then, but I'm not taking her home. I'm just getting warmed up!"

Miyako bounced up and down. "Me too, me too! I wanna play this some more!"

"I'll take you home." Ken quietly offered.

Hikari smiled and stood up. "Thanks Ken."

They both went to the parking lot and into Ken's small sedan. As he pulled out, Ken asked, "What's been troubling you?" 

Hikari was surprised at the bluntness of the question. She was unsure how to answer for a moment. "Well, it started this afternoon. You see I was looking for the remote, and then I suddenly knew where it was. Out of nowhere. And I didn't put it under the couch. A few hours ago too, at dinner, somehow, I think I… changed the tuna, because it tasted horrible. And in that laser place, I don't know, something happened to me and I could sense everyone's presence." She leaned an elbow against the armrest. "You probably think I'm crazy or psycho."

Ken chuckled. "Of course not. I have one word for all of three of those incidents. Coincidence." He was a much milder driver than Miyako and gently stepped on the brake early enough for a light stop. "You are a pretty unique girl though Hikari. You used to tell me what happened when you first went to the Digital World. And even when we were in that wild place, you did some weird things."

Hikari shifted her position. "You don't think, my powers are returning do you?"

"All the stuff that happened, isn't like what happened at the Digital World. You went through dimensions and controlled Digimon and gave off weird glows. It's probably all some weird fluke. Don't worry about it."

The rest of the car trip was silent. When Hikari arrived home, she thanked Ken and they exchanged sayonoras, then went upstairs into her room, half an hour early for curfew. Her parents were watching some kind of late night sitcom, so she just went into her room and fell heavily onto the bed. She cycled through the events of the day and eventually drifted off. 

* * *

_Sleeping well?_

…Yeah

Good. 

Who are you?

I'm you.

You're me?

That's right.

But… I'm me; I'm the only one of me.

Not exactly.

I don't get it…

Relax; just have a good sleep.

…OK.

* * *

"We got another one. Looks pretty strong too." One man, his face green from the computer monitor pointed a glowing dot.

"Good, where?" Another man looked over his shoulder.

"West section of Odaiba."

"Already calling up one of our guys."

"Damn, look at that thing glow. Copler will really be happy with whoever this is."

* * *

Hikari woke up from the weird dream. It was midmorning, no later than nine AM, but bright and warm. The girl rubbed her forehead, which still hurt slightly. It was Sunday; Takeru had a game scheduled for today. Hikari planned to attend, even though her head was randomly throbbing. The still-groggy girl got dressed, ate a light breakfast, and headed out of the apartment. 

Hikari's head felt like a raging typhoon. So many things were happening, things that she couldn't explain, things that weren't normal. _Why do I have to be the weird one? _She searched her mind for that… thing that kept talking to her. She tried speaking in her mind, screaming in her mind. Nothing came back, but a dark, lonely emptiness. _Why am I trying to contact her? Is it even a her? _Hikari realized that she had no idea whether or not this person was herself, or someone else. She was getting a headache again… 

As she passed by a food stand, a man offered some fruit. Hikari politely turned him down. The man sighed and leaned back in his chair, then suddenly stood back up. All of his food looked like it had just aged a week. All of the apples were brown, and the bananas had ripened to an ugly brown. Should he not have bothered that girl?

* * *

Inside the school gym, a severe morale beating was being administered onto Kobe High School. The few fans that had traveled to see their home team were disappointed by the game and ended up leaving. In the last half minute, they were losing, eighty-seven to forty. Takeru led the charge against Odaiba's rival, which was now their whipping boy. Over half the points were made by the red streak with Takashi and the number nine on the back. Nine, because that was the age when he discovered basketball. The little boy with a glint in his eye was now a tall blonde high school student, slightly taller than his brother, and a head taller than Hikari. He could easily bench press his weight, which was no small number, and when it came to girls, Takeru was the target of several dozen at last month's dance. He ended up going alone because Hikari turned him down.

In the last few seconds, Takeru made a grand finish with a perfect three point shot. As it went in without disturbing the rim, the buzzer signaled the end of the game and Odaiba residents exploded in cheers. Takeru was familiar with this scene. He'd been the star of the basketball league since sixth grade. Most of the rare times when Odaiba lost were during his vacations.

Takeru spotted Hikari among the exhilarated crowd and gave her a flashing grin and wave. Hikari just smiled back. A familiar tugging sensation was annoying her again. She inhaled deeply as a sudden rush of some unexplainable feeling rushed at her. _This is happening too often… something's wrong with me. _In her mind's eye, a picture briefly flashed. _Me… in pain… someone hurting me! _Hikari mashed her hands into her temples like there was something crawling in her forehead.

"Hey, you alright?" A woman next to her noticed Hikari's strange behavior.

"No!" Hikari hadn't heard the woman's question. Her outburst was uncontrollable. She cleared most of bleacher steps in one jump and dashed out without knowing where she was going. One word kept pulsating through her head: Run.She had to run. Somewhere, anywhere, just run. Someone was out to get her; she had to run away. 

* * *

"Kirisuto, look at that glow." One man pointed at a bright dot glowing on the radar.

"It's moving really fast." A woman at his side observed. 

"How high is the power?" A third man asked.

"Went off the scales a long time ago." The other man mumbled. 

The woman raised a single eyebrow. "Think it's stronger than Copler?"

"No one's stronger than Copler."

"Should we move out?"

"Trap's already set. Going pretty fast though."

"We'll catch it."

* * *

Hikari was blindly plowing through people, not caring who she shoved by. Something in her mind kept telling her she had to run. If she stopped… _Keep running! _The voice commanded, immediately banishing the thought. 

At the corner, a man in a business suit and shades kept watch. He looked anonymous among other people, but was waiting for the signal. A hidden microphone, buried halfway into his ear canal crackled and spoke in a feminine tone. "Get ready Atoshi, thirty meters and closing." She briefly paused. "Make that twenty." 

_What? Is this person on a bike? _Atoshi quickly recognized whom the signal was coming from, a young woman who was making an island through the crowd. He casually began to walk forward on an interception course.

The blow that came left Atoshi completely disoriented. One moment, he was accidentally bumping into Hikari, preparing to apologize and give an excuse for her to follow him, the next, he was sprawled on the ground after hearing the frightened girl scream: "Get away!"

He quickly regained his composure, cursed under his breath, then turned and headed back to the van.

* * *

"We could have a problem here." Atoshi said before taking a long sip of coffee. I saw the look on her face. She was terrified."

"So? A scared girl against a seventy kilogram agent?" One of his partners, a woman named Amari, said.

"She used her powers." Atoshi said with an annoyed tone. "Some kind of telekinetic blast." He finished the rest of his drink and crumpled the Styrofoam in his fist. "It was like getting hit by a gust of wind."

"Probably did it without thinking." Amari went over to pour herself another cup of the miracle drink, of which no adult with long hours could live without. "She's pretty powerful, we'll have to catch her off guard." 

"That'll be pretty hard." Ryu, Amari and Atoshi's partner spoke up from his chair at the computer board. He ripped off a piece of paper, and adjusted his glasses while examining it. "Her psyche is still in the early transition stage. It's pulsating without a pattern. It would take weeks or months before we could accurately predict when she's at her strongest."

"So we'll wait until she's weak, then strike, with force if necessary. Copler really wants this one."

"And what Copler wants, Copler gets." Amari and Ryu spoke in unison.

* * *

Hikari was quite jumpy at her house that afternoon. She wanted to rest. Yes, rest is what she needed, without voices, painful head-trips, or anything else weird. _Just… normal. That's all I want_. She lay down in bed, tugging the covers up to her neck. Hikari wondered how Takeru would react if she told him about all of these problems. _Probably get all protective and angry, then somehow try to turn it into a kiss. _She shifted to her side. On the alarm clock, it read a quarter past nine. She couldn't remember the last time she fell asleep that early. Even her parents had noticed and given each other those troubled looks. _I don't want them to worry; I'll have to tough this out. _Hikari closed her eyes, but the sleep refused to come. She considered doing something, almost banished it, but then rethought. 

Five minutes later, Hikari was out the door.

* * *

"This'll be easy. She's weak, and outdoors, and it's night." Ryu pointed at the dot, much dimmer than it had been. 

"Where is she at now?" Atoshi asked before opening the van door.

"Looks like… the local park."

"I'm coming with you. You'll need backup if something happens." Amari was already at her partner's side. 

"Don't forget these." Ryu tossed them both a small bag. "Knocks `em out in seconds."

"Let's haul in a big one."

* * *

Hikari sat on a park bench enjoying the cool, clear night. Few were out at nine thirty, except dog walkers and other people with distraught minds. The sky was clear and moonless but hardly a single star was visible. The lights of the city always drowned out the heavens. _Wish I could see them… wait, never mind. I would probably shut down all the power. _Hikari was beginning to get a grasp of what was wrong with her. _Every time I want something, it happens. I wanted to find the remote, I did. I wanted to do better in that game, and I did. _

_So you're finally admitting I'm here._

Hikari was hardly startled. The voice was becoming more common, and she could, sort of, talk to it. _Why are you talking to me?_

Everyone needs to talk to someone else at one point. Why not talk to me?

Because… you're not natural! Everybody else has just themselves in their head. 

Are you sure? Maybe you just have better contact with me than others do.

What's going on with me? Am I schizophrenic?

No, just different. And you might want to look behind you.

Hikari instinctively turned around. The voice couldn't have picked a worst time. A black business suit filled her vision, followed by pitch-blackness as a foul smelling gas invaded her nose and sent her into a deep slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

"Good thing you got to her in time. She was starting to pulsate again." Ryu said from the driver's seat. He was on a lesser-known roadway that wound through the woods. 

Amari, in the passenger seat, leaned back and asked, "You get the psyche disrupter on her yet?"

Atoshi was struggling to activate the tiny device. According to Copler, it would keep the subject's psyche in check. It fit behind the girl's ear, but its many tiny buttons gave no hint how to start it up. Finally, Atoshi, without knowing how he did it, turned on the gadget. It stuck slightly behind the girl's ear and made a series of random beeps. 

_Hikari, help!_

What is it? Let me sleep…

Wake up!

Hikari jolted awake. _Where am I? This isn't home! _

"She's waking up." Atoshi said with a hint of alarm. 

Adrenaline on her side, Hikari shoved the man off, but there was nowhere to go. The only windows were in the front, with two more people. Hikari backed into the wall and sunk down. Fear gripped her in its black hands, but the man made no movement. 

"Relax, we're not going to hurt you." He even went so far as to offer a hand up. Hikari looked at it blankly, then hesitantly took it and pulled herself up.

"Why am I here? Are you kidnapping me?" Hikari was still trembling.

"In a sense, yes… but," Atoshi caught a nasty glare from Amari. "Well, perhaps you'll find this to be in your favor."

Hikari was completely stupefied now. 

"Just have a seat, we'll explain everything when we get there."

"But I don't want to go! Let me off!" Hikari had no idea how she would jump off a moving van.

"Listen honey," A tall woman spoke from the front seat. "You have some new changes to go through. You belong to Copler now."

"Whose Copler?"

"You'll find out soon enough." The driver said with a hint of forebodingness in his voice.

* * *

Hikari was led down a seemingly random path of roads. After many hours, the driver shut off the van in front of a low, dull gray building. The teen girl reluctantly followed her abductors, trapped between all three, to a metal door. The one who was driving grabbed a thick card with a lengthy set of random markings out of his pocket and vertically slid it through a slot next to the door. It whooshed with a barely audible hiss. 

Inside was rather plain. Eggshell colored walls led down to a door at the end, with an elevator, and several sets of doors seemingly random where they were place, were the only obstruction on the wall. Hikari was guided down to the end of the hallway, where the name "Dr. Copler" in white letters was mounted on a slab of granite. Under that, a single word sent out it's warning. "Restricted"

Hikari was surprised when one of the people reached up to knock, but put his hand down when a deep voice from behind the door said, "Come in." 

The man Hikari saw in the other room what looked like a normal, aging man working at a desk, except for that hideous spider web of veins along his neck and head, which looked more shaven than bald, and he had a basic scientist coat on. The doctor shivered, out of anticipation, rather than fear. "Ah yes, this is the one. I can feel her mind, so fresh, so young." He finally looked up at his newest offering. Hikari could tell he wasn't Japanese, but he spoke it fluently. Dr. Copler rounded the table approaching Hikari, who shrunk down in dread. He wasn't very heavily built, and he was probably approaching fifty years of age, but his dark half-smile behind a goatee and chillingly casual approach were enough to make Hikari quiver. 

"Relax dear, you have nothing to fear from me." He looked up at the patiently waiting men and woman. "Excellent work. Go now, I need some time with her."

After they exited, Copler turned back to Hikari, who avoided eye contact. "What's your name, dear?"

Hikari defiantly looked away.

Copler didn't seem fazed, just lightly chuckled. "It's alright. All of the new students come in here, worried, sad, and angry. He closed his eyes for a second. Hikari felt a light, almost unnoticeable tug. "I want you to know Hikari, that you're in safe hands."

The mention of her name caught Hikari's attention.

"Yes, you're probably wondering how I did that little magic trick." He stood up, folded his hands behind his back, and walked around the office. To the left of the door was a large aquarium with diverse ocean life. "You've probably been having some odd things happening to you lately."

Hikari looked down. "Yeah." She admitted, as though it were a shameful secret. 

Copler studied the multitude of fish. "I was once like you. I had no idea why I could suddenly find out everyone's name, move objects about, and trick people's senses. I didn't have anyone to talk to. Sure, I had friends, but they would just thought I was a freak."

The fish within the tank all suddenly became stiff, then formed into a perfect circle and hovered there. 

Hikari speechlessly gazed in awe. 

Copler continued. "So I tried to develop my powers. Perfect, and shape them." He turned to the young woman. "If your psyche disrupter were off, you'd probably be overwhelmed by my presence." He leaned close to Hikari. "Wouldn't you like to develop, even control your powers?"

His words almost hypnotized Hikari. They sounded so inviting. _No, no, keep a clear head! _"I can't, what about my parents? My friends?"

"They're all not like you. The extended-psyche-control gene appears almost randomly in about one per fifty million people. I have almost twenty students from all over the Eastern Hemisphere, and a few from the U.S. They're you're kind of people Hikari, people that you can relate to. The others are so blind, so oblivious to your talent. They fear what they can't comprehend. You'd be happier here."

Hikari had such strong feelings to stay here, feelings that seemed to come from a different source. She tried to sort what were her thoughts, and the ones from some kind of intrusion. But the intrusion grew like a tsunami, until is practically forced her to speak. "OK."

Dr. Copler smiled in silent triumph. "Good. I'll show you to the living spaces."

* * *

Hikari felt very awkward among all of the other "students" of Dr. Copler. They ranged from pre-adolescents, to young adults. Through one of the doors, a large, oval room containing residences for the inhabitants. She was assigned a bunk for ladies, the last one to the right. Hikari meekly entered her assigned room. 

Inside was something that looked just a little homey. A large round table, made of some kind of warped wood, was at the center of a round room. Four doors along the edge undoubtedly led to bathrooms or bunks. A pair of couches were along the edge, with several sets of cards, and even a small refrigerator. _This is too weird. It's like a home. _Hikari shivered at the thought. Where was everyone? 

"Oh, hi, are you new?"

Hikari practically jumped out of her skin as a voice, this one clearly coming from the couch, spoke out from the silence. A body suddenly flickered on like a light. A petite girl, though probably Hikari's age, was sitting on the couch. She was very slender and fragile-looking, like one good hit would break her in half. Her hair was long and flowed freely down to her shoulder blades, which were easily seen in the tight jumpsuit she wore. A pair of 

_I've had way to many bizarre happenings today. _Hikari was totally petrified, in both body and mind.

"Sorry." The girl became slightly translucent for a second. "I was just practicing."

"You… you were… invisible!"

She looked down. "I know, but I've been trying to control it."

Hikari was silent for an awkward moment. "Oh, uh, I'm Hikari."

"Shika." The girl replied. This time, she broke the ice that reformed after several seconds. "Um… you're new here, aren't you?"

Hikari gave a shallow nod. 

"Well, in a couple minutes, Lina should be back. I'll introduce you to her, but don't get in her way, she's been here a lot longer than most of us have, and she gets mad easy. After that, they'll probably call you in just for a little while, to test you out."

The other girl absorbed all of the information.

"It's hard at first, but you get used to it."

Hikari fell more than sat on the couch next to Shika, and buried her face into her hands. "I don't want to be here." She said, choking on a sob. 'I didn't want these powers, but I'm here now."

Shika was cautious about trying to comfort her new roommate. Hikari could turn into another Lina. 

"I wonder when my family and friends will notice when I'm gone." Hikari mused, though not very cheerfully. She glanced at the clock, which read ten thirty. "Is that AM or PM?" 

"AM. You got knocked out too?"

"Yeah. My mom and dad will probably think I got up and went out before them. They're used to not seeing me for awhile."

Shika was curious about Hikari's personality. This was yet another chance to make a friend. _Don't blow this one, again. _"So… uh, what can you do?"

Hikari looked to the left, perplexed by the question. 

Shika's whole face became partially clear. "You know, how did you find out that you were… different?"

"Oh. I hear this… voice. It's weird, its not yelling or whispering, not deep or high pitched, not male or female, it's just… there. It knows where things are, and, somehow, I changed the taste of something I didn't like, and I felt this huge boost of adrenaline, and I saw the future…" Hikari went through the long list. 

"I turn invisible whenever I feel shy or scared, which is really often for me. And anything that wasn't skintight just kind of fell off." She cracked a weak smile. "Fortunately, that happened only once in school." Shika told her own story about getting captured and practicing at Copler's building. "He plays around with the minds of everyone. That's how we get food and money and supplies. He catches weak-minded drivers, and brings them here, then sends them on. The other adults, the one in business suits, don't get paid. They're all controlled by him."

Hikari shuddered. Copler was sounding worst and worst. 

The door abruptly opened, and Shika instinctively flashed in and out of sight. Another girl, this one just slightly taller than Hikari, but much more muscular, strutted in. Her hair was oddly done; it came down to her earlobes, but one half covered her right eye. The other half of her bangs was tucked behind her ear, showing a bright, icy blue iris. 

"That's Lina." Shika whispered.

Lina noticed someone new was in her domain. "Who're you?" She asked, not sounding like she cared much.

"Hikari. New girl."

Lina furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm Lina. Pleasure." She reached her hand out, offering a shake.

Hikari was confused. Had she been misinformed? She reached out to accept, but yanked it away as soon as she made contact. Lina's hand was like touching a hot frying pan. 

"Hah, guess Shika didn't tell you much." Lina revealed her bright red palm, which dulled to normal skin color.

_Nice girl… _Hikari didn't say anything, but gave an annoyed look. Lina returned the stare, in a much calmer manner, then entered one of the doors, most likely her room.

"I don't like her." Hikari said softly. 

"Copler does. She goes to the training room really often. So much, they don't keep one of those ear things on her."

Hikari involuntarily touched the device behind her ear. She lightly tugged, but it might as well have been welded to her skin. She'd noticed that she hadn't heard that voice for quite some time now. _This thing, it must have something to do with it. _She pulled a little harder, but began to feel pain as it held fast to her. 

"They'll take it off when you're training." Shika offered a note of hope. 

The front door opened. The woman who had brought Hikari to Copler's building leaned in. "Hikari, come with me."

Wordlessly, Hikari followed the tall woman out of the dormitory, dreading the future.

* * *

Mrs. Yagami looked in her daughter's room. Only wrinkled sheets were in the bed. _Hikari doesn't get up at seven… she's been acting odd lately… _The woman sighed and gave a simple excuse. _Teenagers… _

* * *

Hikari was escorted to a room so plain, that it bored her into a deep state of relaxation. Six panels of total white surrounded her. There was a white table jutting out that was also white, and was nearly invisible in the sea of blankness. Copler was nearly camouflaged in his lab coat as he leaned against the wall. He scribbled something on a clipboard, then walked over to Hikari and set down the pad.

"I'm going to take the psyche disrupter off." Copler reached behind his student's ear. "You may feel a little strange at first, but you'll get used to my power." He adjusted the device after a long set of taps and hand movements. 

When it came off, Hikari felt like she'd just come out a dark room into bright light. Everything suddenly clicked on. Bits of information revealed and bombarded themselves onto her. Copler was like a star though, shining in this… mental field. Hikari shielded her eyes as though Copler really was glowing. 

"You're mind is fresh, untouched. It will be difficult at first, like using a muscle after it's been idle for a long time. But you'll get stronger, Hikari. Stronger than you ever imagined." Dr. Copler walked backwards for several steps. 

Hikari watched with cautious curiosity. _He can convince me, invade my mind, and persuade me. I have to keep a steady head. _Copler was about two meters from her, then closed his eyes. Hikari felt a tiny surge of energy, like an already high burning flame had sparked a little more.

The clipboard at Hikari's side effortlessly rose up unaided by any physical force. It sailed in a light arc to Copler, and landed gently in his hand. He looked at it as though it were as simple as turning a doorknob. "I've practiced for many years." He pulled a pen out of one of his many pockets and placed it on the bare floor. "Now, I want you to concentrate. Picture in your mind: the pen moving. You don't even need to make it float. Just give it a light nudge."

Hikari's rebellious eyes spoke instead of her mouth. They silently but firmly stated "No."

Copler sighed, sensing the insubordination. "Hikari, why do you resist me? Why do you not want these gifts?"

"Gifts?" Hikari echoed. "Gifts?! I'm a freak of nature! I don't want to be in this nuthouse! I want to go home, and be left alone!"

Copler was about to take a step back, but caught himself. Hikari's rage was pure. She was fighting, and fighting strongly. _She'll be a challenge. _The psychic scientist probed into Hikari's mind, reaching out with a soft, mental touch. 

He met a solid wall. Hikari was aware of his intentions.

Nudging a bit harder, Copler realized that the wall was wet paper compared to its potential strength. He felt himself break through, into an ocean of black. Memories of dark times went in and out of his mind's eye. There was a certain air of fear, uncertainty, but one of power. Copler wanted to open up that energy source. Hikari had plenty of it, _but the ironic thing is that she doesn't want to use it. _He looked elsewhere in her mind._ She's certainly had a dark history, something she doesn't want many people to know. _He pushed a little harder in that direction 

Copler sensed something coming at him. At first, he dismissed it as another memory, but it grew like a sudden spring storm. _What the…? _

Get out of my head, Copler! Hikari had been quietly developing a mental punch to drive out the invader. It certainly worked well, because Copler was physically knocked onto his back. Disbelief was on his face for a moment, but immediately returned to calmness. "I… think that should be all for today." The scientist put the psyche disrupter back on Hikari's head. She could've resisted, could've drove him away, but smiled under her skin. She had won. This round at least. Copler's flame had a little water sprinkled on it.

* * *

Hikari's mother glanced at the clock every few seconds. She'd been vacuuming the same spot on the rug for almost ten minutes. Hikari always called. Always said she'd not make it to dinner. But the phone remained silent. She couldn't stand it any more.

Miyako picked up the phone at her mother's, none too soft, request. "Hello?"

"Oh, hi Miyako. It's Mrs. Yagami. Would you happen to have seen my daughter lately?"

"Not since two days ago."

"OK, thank you." She hung up, and Miyako continued reading her teen magazine.

Hikari's mother called all of her daughter's friends, the ones she could remember at least, and got similar responses.

Her husband walked in the door. "Hi, dear. Is Hikari home yet?"

With tears lining her eyes, Mrs. Yagami shook her head.

"Maybe she just forgot to call. Taichi did that a lot."

"She's never forgotten, never been out this long." She crumbled into pieces on the counter. 

"Don't worry, I'm sure she's fine."

* * *

"I fought back." Hikari said with a little excitement at dinner. "He was really strong, but somehow, I got him out of my mind."

Shika, who was constantly fading in and out of view (it had been a long time since she'd eaten with someone after all), nodded through it all. _Come on, think of something to say. _"Well, uh, that's good. No one's ever been able stop Copler cold. He didn't expect you to attack though, he may go harder next time."

"Yeah, so I'll keep practicing for a couple days. Make myself stronger. Then, when he least expects it, I'll give him a shock from behind and make a break for it." Hikari's voice was lined with excitement. She continued muttering to herself about when and where.

"Copler has eyes and ears everywhere. He reads minds like a book. Make sure you don't really… think about it."

"Relax, I can handle this. I'm stronger than him."

Shika was silent for the rest of the meal. _Yup, another Lina all right._

* * *

Mid morning the next day, police were at the Yagami apartment. "Describe her, please."

"She's sixteen, a little more than a meter and a half, brown hair down to her shoulders, brown eyes, please, if you find anything at all…"

The man held up a hand to silence her. "Don't worry, we'll keep you informed."

Mrs. Yagami nodded, blowing her nose into a tissue once more. 

"Do you have possible leads? Any reasons why she may have run away?"

"She misses her brother, who's at collage, but I can't imagine how or why she'd catch a ride there. Otherwise, nothing we can think of." Mr. Yagami answered for his wife, who was sobbing into his shoulder. 

The policeman spoke and scribbled down symbols at the same time. "We'll be putting up missing signs, and possibly use search dogs. If the board can ever afford it." The policeman mumbled the last sentence. "In the meantime, keep your eyes open. Tell her friends to keep their eyes open. We'll do everything we can to find you daughter."

* * *

The next day, late in the afternoon, Hikari was showing a little progress. Yesterday, she could nudge a pen after breaking a sweat. At the moment, she was concentrating on lifting it. 

_Lift… lift… lift you goddamned… there! _Hikari sensed air between the white floor and the silver cylinder.

"Excellent. Go a little higher."

Hikari drew what little energy she had left, and haltingly raised the pen several inches more, then abruptly lost the feeling and collapsed under her own pressure. The pen clattered to the floor and rolled a little ways. 

Copler quickly took observations, then smiled a little bit. "Good, you've been making a lot of effort." _Too much effort. _"Let's move to the cards." 

Hikari wasn't a fan of the cards. She had extraordinary telekinetic abilities, but her mind reading was not very strong. A set of cards, each with a basic geometric shape, magically flew out of Copler's pocket and shuffled themselves in mid-air, backside facing Hikari. One of the cards slid out from the rest. All the while, Copler scrawled notes. Without looking up, he asked, "What's this shape?"

Hikari closed her eyes. She was already tired, and this wasn't helping. Her voice spoke from within.

_It's a diamond. I think._

"Diamond."

Copler's mind flipped over the card, revealing a square. "Try again." The card became lost into the pile, and another one replaced it. 

After five seconds of silence, Hikari just guessed. "Triangle?"

The scientist shook his head. The card had a star drawn on it.

Hikari had never confessed that there was a voice inside her. Copler could read minds like the person had it displayed in neon lights, but if he knew about his student's inner voice, he didn't say anything. _Gotta stop thinking about it, he'll find out. _The teenager went through five more cards, all but one wrong, before Copler returned them to his pocket.

_You're certainly a lot more cooperative today. _"That's all for this morning." 

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Copler was alone in the senior lounge, sipping away at his daily tea. He'd forgotten about it this morning, due to his new pupil. He laid on the couch, which came from a deliveryman who had conveniently come in his direction. It was a simple task really, the man looked hardly past twenty-five, and the couch took only a tiny amount of effort to transport in. _Get moving, mustn't be late. _

_Uh, yeah, OK. _Was the young man's response before driving away. After moments, he forgot what had happened. 

It was becoming so easy. Life was so easy. Teaching the students was easy. Even Hikari, she had become willing to learn overnight. It was too easy. Copler didn't know the meaning of coincidence.

As he flipped through the channels, he came across one news station with a picture of Hikari in a little window. 

"…Fifth disappearance in the past six months. Police have not made any conclusive evidence, but have not found any significant clues as to the whereabouts of her. And now, Yoshi with the weather."

Copler continued flipping about the channels, when Amari entered. He knew she was coming ten seconds early and adjusted himself to look less tense than he already was. 

Amari came in and gave an exhausted sigh. "My shift ended an hour ago. I hope you know what I had to go through."

Copler gave a little nudge of persuasion to make her sit down next to him instead of at the other chair. "Hikari is acting strangely. She was defiant yesterday, now she can telekinesis a pen."

"What, is the grand master of all who are psychic tired? Did you have to deal with Lina today?" 

"As a matter of fact yes. She's becoming obedient enough to go on her first mission."

"At sixteen? She'll be the youngest."

"We'll provide her with a graduated member. Besides, it'll get her away from the others. Her personality is discouraging the students."

"I'll say. She's a bomb ready to blow."

"I have a feeling Hikari will be the same. She's becoming overconfident." Copler smiled darkly. "I'll make her regret that."

* * *

When Takeru saw one of the signs with Hikari's picture on it in the afternoon light, he was confused. When he saw the word "Missing" In bold strokes, he broke into a run. After five seconds, he slowed down and stopped completely. _What the hell am I thinking? Hikari's not at the end of the street, waiting for me. _He wondered if everyone else knew about it yet. It'd been just two days since he last saw her at the basketball game. _Why did she run off like that? _Takeru tossed it about in his head as continued down to the drugstore. 

"Hi Takeru." Miyako was standing behind the counter as Takeru effortlessly lifted a gallon of milk onto it.

"Hey, listen, you won't believe what I saw a block down."

Miyako must've been working long hours, because she didn't respond with: "Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Instead she looked at him expectantly.

"A 'missing' poster for Hikari."

"Oh God, I hope she's all right. She wouldn't run away, would she?"

"I think she was kidnapped." Takeru almost whispered while handing over a one thousand-yen bill.

"Well you'd better go in there with guns roaring to save poor Hikari." Miyako said with a laugh while absently pushing buttons on the register. She knew well about Takeru's affection towards Hikari. 

"Shut up, and tell the guys, OK? We should all be on the alert." He received change, then thanked Miyako and exited.

_Hikari… I should be used to her disappearing by now._


	3. Chapter 3

At breakfast the next morning, Hikari was watching Lina, trying to probe into her mind. Hikari's talent was not sensing thoughts though, and she could barely read anything but a red aura off of Lina.

The firebrand girl caught Hikari staring at her. "What?"

Hikari snapped out of her trance. "Um… I like your hair." She tried to sound pleasant enough.

Lina hardly bought it, but returned with a light smile and said, "It's to cover this." She pulled back the hair that draped over the right side of her face. Behind it was… just the right side of her face. Except for the eye. It twitched about like a paranoid and hunted wild animal. Bloodshot veins scattered out randomly like lightning, and congregated on a wild, blood red eye. It stopped on Hikari, and like it had a mind of it's own, and dilated. "By the time I was seven, I couldn't control it at all. The doctors called it an extreme case of lazy-eye." She let her hair fall back in place. 

Hikari looked back at the food on her plate, but felt she had eaten enough and got up to leave. 

Shika was completely focused on hers though, not daring to look up again at the rogue eyeball. 

A half-hour later, Lina was called for. She didn't come back until the evening. Ten minutes after Lina left, the door to their room opened. Twin teen boys, probably a little older than Taichi, who were so completely identical looking, it was almost comical, asked for Hikari.

"Is Hikari Yagami in here?" They said in perfect unison.

"Uh, that's me." Hikari stood up to follow them. By the time they were out into the main hallway, Hikari worked up the nerve to ask, "Who're you guys?"

"He's Taro." The one on the left pointed to other, who responded with, "He's Jiro."

They constantly finished each other's sentences. When Taro said, "Being twins, and psychic…" Jiro finished with "…we're practically one person." 

Hikari felt like going back to bed.

* * *

Furiously typing on a computer to finish his essay, a tone came from the computer. Taichi briefly paused, and noticed he had gotten E-mail. _This'd better not be a mortgage ad. _When he opened the letter, Taichi's eyes were glued to the computer. He must've read the phrase "Hikari is missing." A hundred times. There was more, but Taichi only focused on those three, poison-soaked words.

* * *

Several thousand kilometers away in America, Mimi was preparing to shut off her computer and go to the movies for the evening. Before she could, the speakers cheerfully blurted: "You've got mail!" Mimi clicked on the box. Inside was a letter from Takeru that read "Important! Open!" Mimi gasped as she read the news. She would've liked to send a message back, but the movies waited for no one.

* * *

One by one, they all heard the shocking news. All of the Chosen Children had mixed reactions. Stoic Yamato of course, had a face of mild concern as he read the news and mumbled, "Poor girl, always disappearing." Sora almost burst into tears, Koushiro muttered that they should've gone along with his location-chip idea, Daisuke barely stopped himself from running out the door, and Iori offered to lend a hand in the search.

Takeru sent out the last message to Jyou, then got off of the computer before heading to the refrigerator for lunch. His mother, Natsuko, was writing something on the pad that she used when doing some journalist-type business. This time though, Takeru leaned over her shoulder to look at what she was writing.

"I got dibs on the story of your friend, Hikari." She said. 

Takeru nodded. "You know, if we had a dog like I asked for…."

"Takeru-kun, I know how much you want one. It'd be nice to have another member of the family but I don't want to take it up and down the stairs twice a day. Plus the landlord would have a conniption fit if it woke up the others."

"_I_ could take it for walks…" Takeru grunted as he turned around and back to the refrigerator.

* * *

Taro and Jiro were actually very helpful, if not just a little annoying. They looked, and sounded so much alike though, Hikari considered writing their names on their foreheads with a permanent marker. 

By now, Hikari could lift a pen with some effort. Taro and Jiro also tested her for other powers.

"You're quite different from the others actually." One of them, Taro, Hikari believed, said.

"Unlike the others, who have traits reflecting their personality, you have a wide range of abilities." Jiro added.

Hikari went through a series of tests. Reflex was one of her strong points. The feral feeling she had gotten days ago was re-awakened. Nervous hardly begun how Hikari felt when she sensed that area of her brain opening up again.

"Watch carefully, and press the button when you see red flash by." Jiro handed her a CD case sized device. One large, red button was placed at an easily reachable location under thumb. Taro turned it on.

A rainbow of colors swirled by. They changed slowly at first, about once every quarter of a second. It went from red to yellow, all the way to purple and back to red. Hikari waited for it to pass several times before tapping the Stop button. Red, the appropriate color, stayed on screen. 

Taro adjusted for the spectrum to shift through faster this time. Hikari waited for several seconds then stopped it directly on the red square. After every trial, Taro made the colors go by a little faster while Jiro observed and took down noted. 

By the time Hikari finished, landing on red perfectly for every trial, Jiro's eyebrows were absurdly high, and Taro informed her he couldn't set it any higher. "Being able to stop it on red at two hundred colors per second…"

"Is absolutely stunning." Jiro finished.

"Most people have to practice for awhile."

"But you beat the highest setting without missing once."

"Either you're very powerful…"

"Or just plain lucky."

Hikari beamed a little. "Well, thanks."

Taro and Jiro smiled; still looking like one was the reflection in a mirror of the other. "Copler will be very pleased to hear this."

_Copler, Copler, Copler. Every here is brainwashed over Copler. _An uncomfortable thought unfolded in Hikari. _What if I'm next? What if he's already breaking my shell? _Hikari inwardly shook her head. _No, I can stay ahead of him. _

_No you can't Hikari… _Copler kept this to himself as he extended his consciousness to secretly look through the eyes of Jiro. _You will yield to me, as everyone else has done, and as everyone else will._

* * *

At early evening that night, the police reported to the Yagamis. It was not a cheerful report.

"I'm sorry, but we haven't found any leads yet. It does appear though, she was near or in the park between nine and midnight the night of her disappearance." 

Mrs. Yagami nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. She tried to say thanks, despite the lack of finding, but was choked by grief. Mr. Yagami came in for her. "Thank you anyway. And please, tell us anything that comes up."

"We'll keep you informed." 

As he exited, Mrs. Yagami pulled her husband close and sobbed into his chest. "I haven't slept a full night since she disappeared. She and Taichi already gave me enough gray hairs when they were children."

Mr. Yagami looked out the apartment window. The sun was past the horizon, but it still bled a rainbow of colors. Somewhere out there, his daughter could be huddled by the side of the road, or taken hostage by some crazy organization. _So why am I not crying for her? _The answer was obvious. _I have to keep some kind of order. I'm the man of the house. But, where the hell is she? _Mr. Yagami suppressed a shudder, imagining the worst.

* * *

_Three hours of training. I feel like my brain has been liquefied in a blender. _Hikari could barely stop an incoming soccer ball. Much less pass it to a waiting girl who looked Korean. (After seeing a million other Japanese, Hikari could tell them apart from other Asian races.) A few times a day, the students had the opportunity to go outside for a little exercise and fresh air. She clumsily caught the ball with her abdomen, causing it to bounce away several meters away and into the feet of an opponent. 

Thankfully, Copler announced for all students to return to the building as the last columns of afternoon light faded.

Inside, the others mumbled about this and that and filed into their rooms. Hikari and Shika were preparing to sleep, when Lina noisily entered. She had an exhilarated expression as she dropped onto the couch and propped her feet on the glass table. "Oh yeah. I've practically graduated."

Shika said softly, "That's great."

Hikari was more inquisitive. "Where were you all day?"

"A bank. One of the older members distracted everyone. He did a good job, because they didn't even notice when I burned down the vault. We got over a five billion yen."

A mask of shock covered Hikari's face as she said, with much disbelief, "You robbed a bank?"

Lina looked at her like she had said something stupid. (To Lina at least, it sounded stupid.) "Of course. Copler doesn't get funding, so he gets us to steal from banks."

"So you just went along with it? Like it was no big deal? Five billion yen is a lot of money!"

Lina drew up a ball of fire, the size of a rice grain, and flicked it at Hikari. "Shut up. I do what Copler tells me to. Besides, what am I going to do, sit around all day? In a week or so, I'll be outta` here."

Hikari gave up on Lina. She turned around, her mood suddenly annoyed and grumpy, and closed the door behind her none too gently. As she sat on her bed, Hikari thought about ways to show Lina who was more powerful. _Arrogant bitch. _Hikari was surprised at herself. When was the last time she thought about injuring another person?

_I must be more tired than I thought._

Hikari did feel quite sleepy. She covered herself with the sheets, then realized that the lights were still on. She turned to the switch on the wall, then concentrated. The switch vibrated momentarily, then shifted to the off position, and the lights flickered off. _OK, maybe telekinesis has its good points._

* * *

That night, Hikari dreamt.

_Hikari…_

What? Hikari was walking down the street to a huge, 50-story building that was a half block away. She was in a business suit with a skirt and high heels like any other woman with a desk job.

_Don't go. Turn around. _

Hikari did turn around. No one was there. Ahead of her, many people, men and woman, were filing into the building. She had to be one of those people. Had to, or else. _Be quiet, I have to go. _She faced the building, and continued walking. Every step made the urge to get to the building stronger. 

When she was nearly at the door, the strange voice cried again, weaker and more muffled. _Hikari, don't go in there. Run away._

At that point, Hikari was totally bent on going in. It was like a buffet on a table after a week without food.

_No… _The voice faded into silence, which abruptly broke into the insane babbling of a crowded workplace. Everyone was moving in some way, whether walking or shifting positions at their chair. Without really thinking, Hikari made her way to the elevator, after a lengthy slalom through the crowd. Inside the metal box, soft music played; the only thing that disturbed the utterly silent cabin. It was very relaxing for Hikari. In fact, she smiled and swayed a little. 

After a minute, the elevator jerked and stopped. Inside, a large office invited her in. She willingly accepted as she sat own at the leather chair. _What do I have to do today? _She looked at the blank monitor, and gasped.

Hikari saw herself of course, but her eyes seemed glassy and void of emotion. Her face began shifting in subtle ways. Lines of middle and late age appeared and deepened. Her soft brown hair became streaked with gray and white, until it was thick and aged. 

But worst of all, the reflection showed strings that dangled from her hands, shoulders, face, everywhere. She looked down at herself, suddenly feeling like she was a hundred by the way her neck cracked. Strings were there, on her hands and they tugged on her. They forced her to stand, forced her to move to the large windowpane. Hikari fought back, and tried to rip the thin manacles out of her flesh. 

Down below, the streets and building were melting under a vast carpet of flame. The strings forced Hikari to fling herself out of the window. Her body was cut in multiple places against the window, but nothing leaked out, like her veins were already empty, like there was no life in her. She twirled slowly around, screaming as the flames licked up to meet her. But she passed right through them, without a single burn. An impact, which should've broken every bone in Hikari's body, was like hitting the ground after tripping. Above her, a dismembered head hung over her, laughing with dark joy. 

The strings yanked Hikari up again, throwing her into the air at an impossible speed. Hikari felt light, like she was flying away. Flying…

* * *

Hikari awoke. The ceiling was much closer to her head now. Her bed abruptly fell down, making a dull but loud smack. Hikari sat up, looking around the room, which seemed to have reversed itself. Hikari realized she was on the other side of the room, and the thing on her ear was burning like it had strained itself to overheating. 

Somehow, she'd lifted the bed and herself, then moved it across the room. 

* * *

Hikari came through the door with an expression of narcosis. 

Lina was serving herself breakfast, and noticed Hikari's spaced-out expression. "What the hell's wrong with you? You look stoned."

"Dream. A really weird one." 

Lina continued staring for a moment then shook her head and chuckled. "Goin` loony on me."

Hikari sat down at the opposite end, helping herself to some cereal. Halfway through her breakfast, Shika came in, sleepiness plastered on her face. The three of them ate breakfast together for only five minutes. Lina seemed eager to get out, wolfing down her morning meal, and leaving like she had a schedule to follow.

_Well the less I see of her the better. _Hikari thought to herself while chewing. That eye still branded itself in her eye, that wiggling little white orb that had a brain for itself. Shuddering on the inside, Hikari finished eating. It wasn't long before she was called for.

Copler himself arrived. Hikari noticed he had that creepy, dark smile on again. "Hikari, please."

Without replying, Hikari followed him out. Instead of the normal routine of going in the white room, Hikari went outside, into a thickly wooded area about a quarter kilometer out. The early morning warmth comforted the teenage girl after that awful, cold feeling in her nightmare. _I wonder if Copler knows about it. _

The scientist introduced her to something like a tennis ball machine. Actually, it really was a tennis ball machine. "It sound's basic, but you can learn a lot from it." Copler turned the thing on. It hummed to life like an animal after hibernation. "Defense is one of the most important things to master. Just deflect the balls. Let your adrenaline flow." Without warning, a ball was flung at Hikari. She automatically scrunched up into a defensive position. "No, not you physical adrenaline. Feel it in your mind."

_This is so stupid… I just want out of here. _

_Do you Hikari? _Herself, her other self, said. It was like the voice… but not as comforting. Still, it sounded like it was from her, but it was also had a point. This exercise, as pointless as it looked, was one more step up the ladder. 

Another ball was launched out of the tube. This time, Hikari put up her hand and half-heartedly pushed. The tennis ball slowed but did not stop, and softly hit her on the hand. She tried again as a third ball came at her. Though it stopped centimeters from her hand, Hikari still pushed it away. She repeated this with the next few balls, encountering close calls, but eventually got the hang of it. 

When she was on the sixth, the part of her brain that had shifted in Crossfire shifted again. Hikari didn't like that part of her brain. It was like a wolf, a wolf that slept all day, but when it awoke…

_Don't let it wake up… _

Too late… 

Copler must've turned up the speed on the machine. _He knows. God, he knows. _Hikari effortlessly deflected each one. The tennis balls were coming at twenty, thirty, and even forty kilometers. Like a trained samurai, Hikari made a small, efficient maneuver to send the objects back.

Something prickled her mind. Something at the side… _Who cares, I have to concentrate on the front. _Hikari gritted her teeth as the stream became faster and harder. Her attention had to be on the incoming green missiles, nothing else.

The annoyance in her mind suddenly burst outward. It went from bottom of the list to high priority in milliseconds. Then something bumped Hikari on the head. A tennis ball had been apparently launched at her from the right. Again, the adrenaline-trance deserted her like an insect from an impending fly swatter.

Copler was shaking his head and writing. "Classic error. You were too absorbed into what was in front of you."

Hikari slumped, embarrassed, ashamed. _What an idiot I was. He probably thinks I'm weak now. _She couldn't explain why this emotion was so great, but she hated it, didn't want to feel it again. _I'll have to try harder, prove I'm not helpless._

Copler heard Hikari like the girl held up a microphone and spoke aloud. _Too bad, I'd thought she'd be a challenge. _He kept his face grim. It wouldn't be long. _Not long at all…_

* * *

It was a long, hard, brain-ripping week for Hikari. She was beginning to feel apathetic towards everything. Except training. It was a rough schedule. Practice, relax, practice more, and relax more, all day. Every night, she fell asleep with a minute of lying down. When both Lina and Shika were away, Hikari passed time by staring blankly at the wall. Sometimes, for no known reason, Hikari skipped meals. After a week and a half, she was barely maintaining forty kilograms. 

Serenity veiled Copler's building.

Then the veil was burnt to the ground.

"I'd like you to drop off some food here." Copler said with strained patience. This delivery woman was rather strong willed, but he had already brought her here. He'd have to get the job done.

"But… I'm supposed to deliver it to a supermarket."

"Your employers won't mind if you make a stop here."

"Well, I guess."

The scientist shook his head, straining his mind. "You mean you know."

Hikari was passing through the hallway at that moment, on to another practice session. The woman's brain linked her face to the one she had seen on the news, despite the growing persuasion in her mind. "Hey, that girl, I've seen her on the news, under the list of missing!" She suddenly yanked out of Copler's invisible hands. "You kidnapped her!"

"No, no, you don't…" Copler swore as the woman bolted outside. Desperately, he tried to regain control, but the woman's mind was focused only on ratting him out on the police.

He turned to one of his assistants, Atoshi. "Lockdown. Cancel all practices for the day." 

Atoshi nodded and escorted Hikari back to her room. As he was leaving Copler mentally reminded Atoshi of something. _If any of this leaks out to the children, I will rip you apart with my mind. Limb by limb._


	4. Chapter 4

The next four days were similar to security lockdowns. No one was allowed outside, and Copler was everywhere at once. Even so, the police came. Strong willed police. The scientist wearily warded them off, but to no avail. Finally, something snapped in Copler. It had been strained for a long time, and he needed to do it, desperately.

"We've sent six police over, and all of them come back hardly remembering anything. We have the search warrant, now let us in." The man was a big guy, and could probably overtake Copler.

If the psychic wasn't a psychic that is.

Three seconds passed, and Copler stood unmoving in the doorway. 

__

You have to do it.

No I don't. Shut up! 

You must.

No!

If you won't, I will.

The policeman's hand twitched at the pistol by his side, sensing something wrong. He made a motion to move. "Sir, if you'll-ack!" Copler's invisible hands were already on the man's neck. He twisted the bones and muscle like they were clay. Twist, twist, twist. When you twisted clay, it eventually became thin enough to break in half. The policeman's head turned almost 180 degrees then suddenly became limp after a loud _crack_ and slumped down much too far. It was a quick, merciful death. Copler could've broken the man's bones, one by one, leaving him there to scream in pain as he moved a centimeter.

The other cop, much younger and smaller, fumbled his pistol, but pointed it at Copler and backed up to his car. "D-don't move!" His voice had all the authority of an ant whispering to a herd of charging rhinos.

Copler gripped the waist of the rookie with telekinesis and yanked him over. "You can live, if you want. Do you want to continue your pointless life?" Copler spat the last two words.

Hardly able to breathe, the young man nodded hastily.

"Go to your police station. Tell them this is an ordinary building. The truck driver had mistaken identity. And as for your partner…" Copler smiled, but it was not the kind that spread more smiles. Quite the opposite actually. "He went for sushi, and never came back."

Copler did not so much drop the man as he did throw him. The cop scrambled to his feet and made the tires squeal as he took off.

The scientist stared at nothing for a minute, then turned to the carcass. His look was puzzled, like he couldn't remember why he did that. Then Copler began breathing harder. He couldn't remember why. He searched through his mind. The most advanced mind in the world, and nothing turned up. He couldn't remember why. He trudged inside, suddenly very fatigued, and hurt. _I can't remember why._

* * *

Hikari knelt in her bed, knees drawn up. She had felt the man's pain, even through the psychic disrupter. She would've cried, would've grieved, would've been shocked and afraid. This would've pushed her off the edge of sanity, and caused her stomach to heave enough for a trip to the bathroom.

But it didn't.

Instead, she was sitting here, obediently obeying Copler's command. 

Actually, she did need to use the bathroom. She plodded out of her room, into the den, and through another door to the bathroom. Inside, Lina had carelessly left a bar of soap on the ground. All of the mental power and foresight in the world couldn't stop a soap-on-the-ground scenario. 

Fumbling for the light switch, Hikari stepped and slipped in a perfect imitation of a cartoon's slip-and-fall. Her hand scraped against sharp edge of the sink table and left a ten-centimeter long cut. Cursing in mid flight, Hikari landed painfully on her back, but her attention was drawn away to the pain in her hand. Or rather, the lack thereof. 

She'd had a similar scratch from her cat, Miko. There was about as much blood as tears. Any cut this size would produce blood. On a live person, there would be blood dribbling down in little tributaries. On a live person…

__

On a live person.

The cut was pink and a discolored streak in her pale skin. No blood at all. _Not a single drop… _Hikari's mind wandered, searched for where she'd seen this before. 

When it hit, Hikari screamed. 

.

* * *

__

I'm not supposed to be like this.

Yes you are.

Shut up.

Hikari slept deeply lost in the raging typhoon in her mind. _Copler killed. Copler killed. Copler killed. _Everything seemed to say this from everywhere. The storm roiled on. A wave came, white foam forming at its crest. A wave that echoed the word "Takeru" with no aid from a mouth. 

That name meant nothing to Hikari.

Right?

__

No.

The wave hit.

Hikari awoke either because of her dream or the feeling someone was holding a match up to her ear. She pressed her hand to her head, a centimeter or so behind her ear. The familiar bump of the psychic disrupter was gone. By her side, Hikari saw a little pile of plastic, like a child's toy that had been stepped on. 

It was the psychic disrupter.

Hikari clutched her head, fighting the hammering spike that was being nailed into her forehead. Oh this was the granddaddy of all headaches all right. 

__

HIKARI! A voice like front seats at a heavy metal concert screamed again and again in her head. Then, it paused, and whispered:

__

Good, you're awake. 

* * *

Takeru woke up roughly ten seconds after Hikari. A dream fist had punched in the jaw, and a voice like a drill sergeant ordered him awake. Takeru noticed it was four AM, but his mind didn't care if it was the last five minutes of the universe. He had to go, and get his car, and drive. Drive to a building he had no idea that existed. Go into it…

__

And get Hikari.

* * *

An hour later, Hikari was still awake in bed, breathing deep and fast. She was closing in fast on hyperventilation, but that was far, far down her list of priorities. 

__

Takeru's coming, so it'll be all right.

Yes, everything will be fine once Takeru arrives.

* * *

Takeru arrived. In his mind, the one that wasn't under the influence of something, saw an ordinary gray structure that would've made him wonder what the hell he was thinking, driving for nearly an hour to this place.

The mind that was being controlled saw it as an obstacle before Hikari.

* * *

__

He's here. 

Hikari stood up, and walked out into the dark lounge, and continued into the main hallway. _He's so close, so close…_

"Hikari, you've been a bad girl." A voice too dark and deep to be Copler's arose. Even so, it was the one and only who stood in front of the door to Takeru, waiting. He knew the whole thing since four in the morning. 

"Move, please." Hikari's voice was so low; it was nearly inaudible. She effortlessly lifted Copler off the floor and into the ceiling. He stuck there a moment while Hikari passed underneath, then fell and landed on his side. He grunted and thought to himself (making sure to block it from Hikari) _that was unexpected_. Copler got up, and reached out, trying to pierce the girl's mind.

It was an adamantine chamber.

Copler focused, and yanked.

The girl felt only a light, annoying tug, then continued. A loud pounding came from the door. _Takeru waits. _Hikari reached for the door, but by then, Copler had summoned enough will to hold Hikari back. She stopped, frozen in her tracks, and pulled against invisible manacles

__

Manacles… dream…

Hikari turned, only momentarily distracted by Copler. "Go away." She said passively, then pushed her palm forward in a stopping gesture. Copler flew back a good six meters, but caught himself in midair and cushioned the impact. Barely. _When did she get so strong? _He stayed on the ground, and focused on keeping the door locked. _You're not going anywhere. _She didn't have the code anyway.

__

Yes I am. Hikari placed her hand on the door. Copler felt a sudden ripple, which became a wave, which became a tsunami in his mind. Hikari pushed. The door fell down like a cardboard prop, clear of its frame.

__

Takeru…

Hikari…

Then suddenly, they were out of the trance. Takeru and Hikari were with each other, now what? Takeru looked around. "Hikari, what am I doing here?"

Hikari looked around, unaware of her own surroundings. "I… I don't know."

"I-uh… heard you call."

Hikari smiled. The warm, pleasant smile Takeru had missed for quite some time.

Copler was up. "I'd hate to break up this oh-so tender moment, but Hikari isn't going anywhere." His voice was calm and even, but his eyes weren't. "I worked too hard, too long to let her be snatched away."

__

No, not again. This is my _body!_

You'll soon your true potential.

With a strong burst of telekinesis he'd been summoning, Copler threw the ground below the teenagers up, then gripped Hikari and tugged. With only a fraction of the power she had before the trance Hikari could only weakly resist. Takeru was on the ground and watched with horror as Hikari was torn away by an invisible force. 

Then some of the students poked their head out to see the ruckus, and were surprised to see a girl fly by at high speed. Hikari suddenly stopped, floating a half meter above the ground, held up by an invisible fist at the front of her shirt like an unfortunate freshman about to be socked by a bully. "Everyone, go back to your rooms." Copler announced. "I'm just dealing with a student who's misbehaved."

Hikari's voice deserted her, but her eyes pleaded for help. So did her mind. The others dubiously looked among each other then went back to their beds. 

__

I am so dead. "Please, I didn't mean to." Her voice faltered in terror. "I don't know how it happened, I'll be good." A tear streaked down one cheek, then the other.

Copler did not soften. "You think you're more powerful."

"Wh-what are you saying?" Her eyes widened. _I am such a horrible liar._

Copler laughed, and continued laughing in a shrill and hoarse manner. When it finally ceased (which lasted more than thirty seconds, once Hikari started counting), he said, "I know everything Hikari. I thought I told you that. Everything is clear as polished glass to me! Even the fact your boy friend is trying to sneak up on me!"

Takeru was abruptly knocked down. The slab of metal he'd retrieved from the shattered door suddenly tilted and made him lose balance. Fortunately, the twenty-odd kilogram chunk missed Takeru's head. "What a yellowbelly, picking on girls like that." He said while lifting up his head

Copler lost all interest in Hikari, and turned to Takeru.

"Only a thug hurts a helpless girl."

Hikari appreciated Takeru's confidence, but how could he stand up to Copler? _Or call me helpless?_

The scientist scooped the younger man up. "You have no idea how easy, or tempting, it is to kill you."

Sneering, Takeru said, "Why don't you play fair? Without your mind?" He fell to the ground in a heap. 

"You want to fight kid?" Copler snarled. "I have nothing to prove, but I'll be glad to show you what I've been practicing for years." With that, Takeru was up in the air, in the exact same position as Hikari, then flung him like a rag doll. He landed heavily and slid a little before being picked up again. Takeru felt an odd, almost pleasant, sense of zero-G, then smacked into the wall. The hallway shuddered, then shuddered again when Takeru slammed into the opposite wall. He was released and fell on his stomach. Copler approached at a fast, angry pace then grabbed Takeru by his neck. Although he didn't appear to squeeze hard, the younger man roared in pain.

Hikari felt Takeru's pain, felt it course through his body, and hers. She tried to ease the fire, but her healing skills were sorely lacking. Copler had apparently mastered the art of burning. Skin began to melt on Takeru's neck. Then, he got a hold of himself, reached up to clutch the scientist's forearm, and pulled him down into a waiting elbow. Distracted, Copler stepped back, but sensed the approaching fist. In a superhuman display of agility, he dodged Takeru's fist by millimeters, and the next punch, and the next. He moved with as little effort and as much efficiency as possible. At the fifth punch, Copler stopped playing around, grabbed Takeru's fist, then threw him up and over his shoulder. (Hikari was surprised to notice she felt no telekinesis happening. Copler had done that all by himself.) "You picked the wrong guy to mess with." Copler picked up the pummeled Takeru with his mind. Completely helpless, Takeru was subjected to a severe physical beating.

__

Takeru, be strong. Hikari wanted to help Takeru, but if this were an arm wrestle, her hand would be down and through the table in less than a second. _I can't stand up to him. _

Then Copler has won. The voice… it was back. 

Takeru was being whipped hard. Copler had him flung about the hallway a few times more, and then bashing him with telekinesis aided punches.

__

Man, I can't feel my face. Maybe it's better I don't. His nose was undoubtedly broken.Takeru flailed wildly as he was tossed up into the ceiling, and let drop three meters or so. _Hikari, I'm sorry._

Don't be… please, don't say that.

Finally, Copler did that bully-grip with his bare hands. Takeru noticed a disgusting set of veins along the scientist's head. 

"Tell me something young man. Why do you continue to fight, even with a horrible set of reflexes and no powers to speak of?"

"I don't know where the hell you found out how to make things float."

"But still, I'd like to know before I kill you. What drives you to fight? Even with a battered body, why do you wish to save this girl?"

The words uttered by Takeru scorched themselves into Hikari's mind. Maybe Takeru said it without thinking, but based on the time between question and response, it seemed to be truth "Because I love her." 

Copler looked puzzled, no, downright bewildered. Then he laughed again. Shorter this time. "Your kind of people kill the world. You're ignorant, blind to your surroundings and potential. Not because you naturally are, but because you _choose _to be." Copler's mind was a blazing sphere to Hikari. It burned with rage, vengeance, and hate. He was seriously angry. "I think I'll start the extinction of the _sub_-humans with you."

Takeru screamed. Screamed as a ball of heat plunged into his abdomen. Burning, melting, vaporizing. _Fire! Fire! Oh my fucking Gods it BURNS! _

Hikari screamed too. Screamed with fury at Copler. Screamed at the monster. He turned his head, which had suddenly sprouted yellow-orange flames. His eyes spat red embers, and rows and rows of fangs lined his mouth as he grinned in victory.

"_Stop it!_" Hikari ripped the monster away from Takeru, who slumped to the floor, gasping. The insane scientist was caught off guard as Hikari jiggled a piece of ceiling above him out. It fell, and shattered to shards of plaster on Copler's head. 

He stood up, somewhat dazed. _I knew I shouldn't have shaved my head. _Hikari was mad, he could tell that by the whirlpool of energy around her. He tried a new tactic. _Ryu, come here, and bring your gun! _

Hikari rushed over to Takeru, shoving Copler back several meters. "You damned idiot, what were you thinking?" She said softly.

"You… were in trouble…" His breath was shallow and had no pattern. He groaned loudly, then begun to take in even less air. "It hurts to move, to _breathe_."

"Just stay there, I'll get you out soon."

A door was kicked open halfway between Copler and Hikari and Takeru. A very shaky and tired looking Ryu stepped out, holding a gun, and pointed it at Hikari. "Don't move. Put your hands up, and face the wall." 

"Good, Ryu, keep them there." Copler began to stand up.

Hikari stood up, but tried to ease Ryu's controlled mind. _Listen to me, Copler is controlling you. Put your gun down, I won't hurt you._

Ryu looked a little confused and hesitant. "B-but that's… what Copler…"

"Don't listen to him." Hikari said aloud. 

He slowly lowered his gun.

"What're you doing? Don't listen to her!" Copler yelled.

"Ryu, think. Is this what you wanted to do before Copler controlled you?"

"You came here on your own, stop paying attention to her."

"Ryu…"

"_Ryu_!" 

The torn man looked back and forth from Hikari to Copler, from light to dark. "You took me away from my daughter." He spoke and realized at the same time. "I… I… hey!" 

Copler mentally wrenched the gun from Ryu. He turned it around in his hand, pointed it and the other man. "You shouldn't have listened to the inexperienced little girl, Ryu. You weren't that useful anyway." He pulled the trigger.

Hikari had almost no time to concentrate and create some kind of barrier. Even though the bullet weighed less than a dozen grams, it had amazing force, and still hit Ryu. He fell to the ground, shocked but otherwise fine. Copler pulled the trigger again, but this time nothing came out. _Idiot! He put only one bullet in it! _

The gunshot made every student in the building forget Copler's order. They peered out into the hallway. Confusion from other people littered Hikari's mind. _He's been controlling you! _Hikari mentally screamed. _Don't listen to him! _

Shika was probably the most afraid. She was absolutely petrified of Copler. She also very strongly hated him. Both feelings had welled up for the past two months of this place… this prison. She didn't have a single friend. She didn't even think Copler really needed her. Invisibility was a good talent, but not a _great _one. Besides, she had a habit of losing her nerve in tense situations. In a bank holdup, she'd probably lose focus when sneaking by the police, and be caught robbing a bank in her bra and panties.

When Hikari came though, everything was tilted ninety degrees. Shika tried to friendly enough, but it hadn't seemed to work. Even so, Hikari was the first friend she'd had in a long time. And friends stuck together.

Shika came out of the doorway, and stood by Hikari's side. "I'm with her Copler. You can just go to hell."

Ryu, after retrieving his glasses, also stood by Hikari. Another girl, tan from the pacific islands, came out and joined the growing alliance.

Copler was looking just a little unsteady. "Rebellious vermin!" He roared, then he brought the ceiling down in front of him, and retreated into his personal room. 

Hikari grinned, enjoying this brief victory. _But Takeru is still in danger. _She turned around, and went back to his side. "Just hold on, you're going to make it."

His breathing was hard to listen to. A dark puddle of blood was continually growing under him. "I… I… can't. Getting dark."   
"Please, just try to keep awake." Hikari was suddenly struck with an idea. One thing that would keep Takeru going. _Dare I? _She mused. 

Hikari leaned forward, and planted a kiss, right on Takeru's lips. She winced at the coppery taste of blood, but kept it going for a few seconds, then broke away. "Will that keep you alive?" She whispered.

Takeru nodded dumbly.

Hikari lightly smiled, then turned back to group, who all stood motionless, like they were waiting for orders. "Who here has medical skills?"  
A young boy, hardly into adolescence, nervously stepped forward. "I… kind of do."

"Do _something_." Hikari stood back up and met the blank stares of the students. "Why are you all looking at me like I'm a commander?"

The students looked among each other. To Hikari's surprise, Lina was the first to speak. "We don't really know. Copler's been playing around with our minds, and it seems like he's lost control.

"He's about to lose a lot more." Hikari mumbled.

* * *

Bees, hundreds of bees, buzzed about in a fury throughout Copler's head. _The voice, that damned voice. _

Don't ignore me Copler. 

"Just go away." The tormented doctor spoke aloud. _I never wanted you. _The only response was a sudden throb in his mind. 

__

Oh Copler, you're so naïve. You're so ignorant to the world around you. Hadn't he said that before? Was it himself, or this… presence in his mind? What did it want from him?

__

It? Oh Copler, can't you see? I'm you.

Shut up! Just shut up!

Yelling won't make me go.

SHUT UP!

Everything in Copler's mind exploded_. _He felt like his mind was ripping apart. Like _he _was ripping apart. He fell to the floor, screaming from his mouth, and in his head. He barely noticed as his nose bled like a faucet.

* * *

Takeru was awakened by the disembodied screams. He had about one second of freedom from the pain before it finally caught up. He looked around, seeing a-dozen-and-a-half young men and woman, in varying degrees of pain, and three adults confused by the whole scene. Takeru wished he had leaned his head back. That way, he couldn't have seen the puddle of blood that soaked his clothes, or the guy that had his hand wrist deep in his stomach. But his eyes caught the sight, and made his stomach heave. If he threw up now, it'd probably be another couple hundred milliliters of lost blood. He couldn't afford that.

So Takeru blacked out instead.

* * *

Hikari felt Copler go off like a supernova. And she had a front seat surround-sound view. Everyone else sensitive felt it. The less experienced students felt a minor headache. The stronger ones were on the ground, clutching their heads. It was like a fireworks show that they couldn't force out. To Hikari, everything was white. Blinding, searing white.

* * *

At the center of the mental fire, Copler was feeling very strange. He clutched his head, believing it to be pain. But it wasn't. More like a feeling of… emptiness. He removed his hands from his head, then gasped and moaned as he saw his left hand. It had all five fingers, plus an extra carbon copy of his pinkie, sticking out of his hand. 

__

Then the pain came.

The feeling of being ripped apart. The sensation something was climbing out of him. 

__

Oh Gods, something is _climbing out._

There was no reply to his thought. No maniacal laughter or sharp retort. His hand suddenly sprouted a seventh finger, then an eight. They seemed to erupt from his other fingers, but left no wounds. Even so, it certainly felt like his fingers were being ripped open. It looked like he was shedding an outer coat of skin, but much more horrific. Soon, an entire extra hand was dangling from his wrist. It was totally limp and dead at first, but then began to twitch and ball into a fist. 

Copler tried every single pain easing technique he knew, but nothing happened. The explosive agony continued. He realized then, he had no mental powers. They had simply deserted him. 

Then he put his hand, the one that wasn't sprouting an extra hand, on the desk behind him, and let whatever was happening to him take it's course. Perhaps, if he didn't struggle, it wouldn't hurt.

__

Ha, ha. Yeah, that's a load of bull, if I ever heard one.

His other hand, however, was also beginning to duplicate itself. Copler was silent. He was too engrossed in the doppelganger hand, which struggled and twisted, trying to free itself. His entire left arm began to split in two. Every last hair and freckle was completely cloned. His right arm caught up to his left, and in complete unison, they reached his shoulders. Copler resembled a four-armed freak. As he looked down, he noticed his legs would soon be in a similar state. An extra set was pushing out of the original. Copler groaned, and nearly fainted as the whole… splitting (he couldn't think of a better name in it in his state) seemed to accelerate. Within three seconds, an extra set of legs dangled and waved from the original. The pain seemed to subside for a moment, then, it came back double fold. His chest seemed to expand, then rip open and reveal a second layer of skin. The transformation moved to his torso, then to his pelvis.

The door opened.

* * *

When Hikari finally sealed off the incredible energy, she made a path through the wreckage, leaving the others to recuperate. Then when she opened the door and saw Copler, she though he'd magically become a one-headed twin. But as he screamed when his face began to stretch and contort, she realized something was coming out of him. Something horrible. All at once, with absolutely no sound, a second head popped out of Copler's. Finally, Hikari saw the clone's face. Copler had somehow doubled himself, like a cell multiplying. The parent Copler slumped down, moaning and clutching his head.

The other Copler looked up. There was fire in his eyes. They burned with the bottomless fuel source of rage. 

__

Oh boy, I just know _this'll be so much fun._

Destroy… you!

What the…? 

Copler lunged at Hikari before any more thoughts could come out. He was too fast for her to even realize what had happened until her body detected a heavy object in her chest. With some aid from her mind, which required an alarmingly substantial amount of effort. Hikari's taxed mind was hardly able to get the frenzied… thing off. Using the brief moment, Hikari probed Copler's twin, and found only the primitive instinct to hunt, to kill.

__

Oh man, Copler sprouted a clone. Physically, they're identical… but… Hikari dodged the beast, barely. _He took a part of Copler with him. The anger and powers._ She needed help. She was tired, and couldn't draw enough energy to do anything significant.

Though she never asked for help, it came anyway. Atoshi barged in, wielding a gun of his own. He nearly dropped it when he though his vision had doubled. "What the…?" He did the only rational thing. "All of you, hands up!"

Hikari did so. The original Copler was barely aware of Atoshi's presence. The other Copler didn't like to be ordered. He walked quickly and menacingly to Atoshi, hardly noticing the muzzle of the gun.

"I mean it Copler! Stop _now_!"

He only sped up.

A loud bang erupted from the gun. Hikari, in her mind, saw the swirling bullet drilling through Copler's chest and finally killing the monster. The nightmare would be over.

But that was in her mind. In the real world, Copler's hand came up in a streak and backhanded the little piece of metal to his side. Hikari even heard the ping of it hitting the wall.

Dumbfounded, Atoshi fired twice more. Both ended up rolling on the floor instead of buried in Copler's flesh. The clone was on Atoshi's throat now, strangling him. 

__

Kill… kill… destroy…

Hikari drew up what little energy she had left, and pulled. Nothing happened. The girl collapsed to her knees. _I can't do it. Too tired… too much strain…_

Kill…

Wait a minute…

Destroy…

That's not Copler talking… It suddenly occurred to Hikari; it was herself, the voice inside. _No… I won't. Get out of my head! _Embers danced in Hikari's mind. She had to get rid of this voice. Get rid of it, before it took over. She focused, searching through herself. Trying to rip apart anything involving the voice, like papers in a grand file cabinet.

The whole world lit up. Her head swam in an invisible sea. She felt like vomiting. 

And then it was done. There was no one in her mind except herself. 

A gunshot interrupted her. Atoshi had managed to pull the trigger. Copler's clone clutched his bleeding shoulder, and rolled off. Atoshi stood up, only to be knocked over again, this time by an enraged Lina. A ball of flame the size of a beach ball lit the room, allowing her to easily see the original Copler, lying in pain. Lina spat a curse then hauled him to his feet.

"Lina, wait… that's…"

"No… you don't understand…" Copler feebly murmured.

"Shut up! You deserve this for warping all those kids!" The giant glowing sphere plunged into Copler's body. The whole scene with Takeru played itself in Hikari's head over and over again.

Copler hardly moaned. He had become almost oblivious to the pain around him. Even so, when he fell down, he did not get back up.

Hikari grabbed Lina from behind. "That's not the Copler you want!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Lina nearly threw off Hikari.

"Let me explain!" Lina, surprisingly, stopped struggling. "Somehow, Copler split into two. This Copler couldn't harm a fly. The other is the dangerous one!"

"Where is he?"

"Over…" Hikari looked to where the beastly Copler should've been. He wasn't there. Atoshi was up again, looking around with his finger on the trigger. When he went behind the overturned desk, nothing but wires, computer guts, and papers were there. And broken glass. Atoshi looked outside into the rising sun, through jagged glass, then turned around and shrugged. "He's gone."

"Hikari…" A whisper like dry leaves on pavement from Copler.

She leaned close to him. Everything about Copler was different. He no longer projected an aura of intimidation and dominance. It also seemed he had no more powers to speak of. He was a dying candle, trapped under a glass cup.

"The voice… I had it… too." He gasped, struggled for air. With shaking hands, he grabbed her shoulders. "Don't listen to it!" His voice grew into a desperate plea. "Whatever you do, don't listen to it! It… will betray you! Steal your mind; grow… off of you. Then… split."

Hikari smiled wanly, and said, "I know. I think I've silenced it." 

Copler returned the smile with cracked lips. "Good. I always knew… you'd be… my best stu…" And then he was dead.

* * *

Mrs. Yagami opened the door that afternoon, and found that every shadow that had covered her disappeared in two seconds. Hikari, escorted by a cop, stood in her doorway, looking very tired and weary. "Oh my… oh Hikari!" She pulled her daughter into a crushing hug. When her brother and father came in, Hikari was too tired to even joke to herself that she would probably die right there from crushed ribs.

"Hikari, where've you been? What happened to you? How…"

Thankfully, the policeman stopped their questions. "She's very tired. Why don't you give her some time to rest?"

Hikari nodded and sighed. "I'm very, very tired." She agreed. Hikari walked with a noticeable sway to her bedroom door and closed it behind her. Hikari smiled. _I'm home… and safe… _She fell into bed, and went into a dreamless sleep for eleven hours.

* * *

I had a lot of explaining to do. Eventually the whole case about Copler was dumped and archived, simply because of the bizarreness of it. I turned down all of the interviews, and so did all of the others. Atoshi, Amari, and Ryu too. It was almost a good thing Copler died, because he would've faced dozens of charges on kidnapping and theft. I haven't seen Shika, Lina, or anyone else since that morning, but I hope they're resting as peacefully as I am, and learning to live with their powers. I try not to use them that much. Maybe to grab something that I don't feel like getting up for. 

Takeru spent a long time in the hospital. I feel a little guilty about it all, because it was me that drew him into the whole scene. He's OK though, but itching to get back on the basketball court 

No one ever found out where the other Copler went. With a bullet in the shoulder, I doubt he got that far. But I still have a tendency to look out my window, expecting his grinning, twisted face. I know though, that I'm safe.

As long as I have this power, this gift, and my friends and family, I'm safe.


	5. Author's Note

Author's Note

It's over. Finally over. My God, that was rough. My Prison was a long, excruciating piece of work. For the first two months, it went smoothly enough. Then everything collapsed. Perhaps I took on a subject I wasn't ready for. The mind. It's a vastly complicated thing to write about, and I believe I didn't do a great job showing it. Of course, maybe some people will disagree, but I believe I did it hastily and sloppy. Just like my grammar. I really threw out sentence structure on this. Interrupting full sentences with new paragraphs, way too many dot-dot-dot's. (Whatever the hell you call them) and generally making a mess. Also, this was a lot shorter than I thought it would turn out. On Microsoft Word, 10 font, it covered 26 pages. It probably would've been shorter if I didn't play around with paragraphs. Additionally, I really took my sweet time with this. But several things came together to delay this. First, I picked a terrible time to write. Spring is the time for school, and studying, and final exams. With my grades dipping, I really had to shut off my Gateway and crack the books. It paid off though. 90.26 Grade Point Average. Also, fanfiction.net blew up in our faces. Right when I was finishing up, it was falling apart. Finally, I had a summer reading project (Oh boy!) and I wanted to get that damned packet out my way all at once. Bad idea, because it took me three days to read that stupid no-action, feelings book (I won't say any names, to avoid myself being flamed. Seriously, I HATED that book), and another five of nearly all day working on that packet. ARG! 

Anyway, here's what I went through.

Date created: 2/12/02

Date finished: (Including editing, spell check, etc.) 7/2/02

Total time writing/editing: 2421 minutes. Or, 40 and a half hours, or a day and two thirds.

Characters: (w/ spaces) 102,480 (w/o spaces) 81,060

Words: 17,677.

Don't bother checking for yourself. I quickly glanced at the numbers and probably got them wrong, but they're close enough.

Anyway, I have one last thing to mention. I'm returning to sci-fi with Takato's Roughriders, a Digimon/Tachyon: The Fringe crossover. This time though, I'm planning on writing the whole thing, then posting chapters at 2 week intervals. What do you think? You'll have to wait for a long time, but I promise they'll come on time. Or you can have me write the chapters one by one, hardly spell checking, and possibly waiting up to a month or two for the next chapter if I do it the normal way. Review or E-mail me your thoughts. 

Until then, happy reading.

Soccer Dude.


End file.
